Pride

Xandar was a massive planet, therefore our invasion had to be, well, massive. I’d never been in the thick of something so big, so destructive. My entire body was vibrating, trying my best not to let my teeth rattle - nervousness wasn’t an option. And here I was. Nervous.

The Leviathan roared - I was on its side, feet dangling off the edge. The Chitauri were bellowing, their war cries deafening. Proxima was at my side, Maw, Corvus, and Cull on the other. My armor was tight, but allowed much more mobility than I’d imagined.

“You’re shaking, human,” Proxima called over the rushing wind. I glanced down - the massive island that housed the Nova Corps was growing larger and larger. “You’ve never seen blood before. You’ve never killed. But today, you will.”

“Sister, please refrain from antagonizing the girl,” Maw said, and I could practically feel the sarcasm as he mimicked his father’s words from earlier. “Focus on the task at hand.”

“I’m just poking fun ,” Proxima replied. “The human is in for a surprise.”

She wasn't wrong. The Leviathan was met with a barrage of blaster fire, the Nova Corps scattering their gold fighter ships. The onslaught was too much, and the Chitauri - along with us - were able to drop on the ground and head towards the main headquarters.

Just focus on what you have to do.

Obsidian roared and charged, mowing down our oncoming attackers. Proxima and Cull were nimble, spinning and flipping and flying, while Maw and I made a beeline for the main building.

“Lower level,” Maw instructed. “Move quickly.”

For once, I listened. I drew my blade, taking a deep breath, steeling myself as I met an attacker and slice him open from neck to hip.

Ignore the blood.

Focus on what you have to do.

Blaster fire filled my ears and smoke filled my nostrils. Women and men screamed - soldiers, falling, flung around the hall with the flick of Maw’s hand. There was a tremendous bellow from outside, and the entire building shook - only for the roof to be torn away, scraped clean off by the tail of an overhead Leviathan. My fingers became slick with blood as I fought and I fought and I fought -

I slit the throat of an armored guard, spinning - Maw and I locked eyes before the building shook again.

“Shit.”

A Leviathan, struggling to stay airborne as it was peppered with gunfire, split the building in two. Had I not been wearing such durable alien armor, I would have died, instantly, for the sheer force of the impact threw a wall, then through the floor, then through another floor. Dust and debris rained around me, and I heard a cry that sounded like it had come from Maw’s direction.

Then, blackness.

I closed my eyes.

There was a tremendous weight atop my back, digging into my spine. It hurt, bad, and when I tried to move I realized that a massive chunk of debris was pinning me to the ground. I could still here the sounds of battle, but they were muffled, din and distant.

I wriggled a bit, managing to dislodge myself from beneath the debris. I had room to stand, and the area around me was dark, dripping, and filled with dust. I adjusted my helmet, before snarling and yanking the damaged mask away. I worked on feeling my way out until I emerged into a hallway.

The floor was dirt, and the hallway was old - very old. Ancient, almost. I began limping, rolling my shoulders and checking for any injuries.

Nope. Just bruises. Maybe a dislocated shoulder? I shook off the pain for now, wiping blood from my brow.

Lower levels. That’s what Maw said.

These had to be the lower levels - they were still intact, and underground, from the looks of it. I instinctively drew my blade, creeping along the wall, listening intently for any noise, anything out of place.

Then, I felt it.

A vibration - the same I’d felt on the Leviathan, which I'd written off as nerves. The feeling shook my bones and filled my entire body with warmth. There was a noise, this time - a low hum.

I went towards it, approaching the entrance to a larger room, and inside a purple glow that seemed to usher me in.

Power.

There was so, so much of it that I stumbled, nearly dropping my blade. The power stone was contained, enclosed in a glass box, locked, safe - and right in front of me.

“Oh, shit,” I breathed, sheathing my blade. The box was half buried in the dirt, and looked as if it had been knocked down during the buildings collapse. The closer I got the more I began to vibrate, shaking like a wet puppy. Yet it still called, those hums growing louder and louder -

Death.

I blinked. Wiped my eyes, and then squeezed them shut.

Death. So much of it. Bodies. Blood. Chaos.

Earth.

I opened my eyes. Now, I wasn’t alone. There was an older, blonde women standing on the opposite side, garbed in the high-ranking uniform of Nova Prime - I recognized her immediately. She had a blaster aimed directly at my head, and she was drawing closer. Her brows were furrowed, outfit streaked with blood and dust and dirt. 

“Drop your weapon.”

I didn’t obey. The older woman tilted her head to the side, studying me curiously. I, too, was dirty, face streaked with blood - some of it Xandarian, some of it my own. I began backing away, eyes still on the power stone.

“Take it.”

“What?” Nova Prime said coolly.

“Take it,” I repeated. “Take it and run. Now.”

“Who sent you?”

“Thanos,” I let out a ragged sigh. “He's after that stone. And he’s coming - take it and go. Get it somewhere safe. I’m not going to stop you.”

Nova Prime didn’t hesitate - she snatched up the box, still keeping her weapon trained on me. I watched her back away, and when she’d put some distance between us, she finally went slack and let her blaster drop to her side.

“You did the right thing today,” Nova Prime said after a while. “I’ll remember this.” 

“So will I.”

Then she was gone, leaving me alone beneath the sounds of destruction.

Xandar was all but decimated, and returning to the main ship was much more mentally draining that flying towards imminent combat. I didn’t see Maw when I approached the Leviathan - Proxima was nursing a nasty wound on her head while Cull Obsidian was limping a bit. My own broken bones didn’t garner me any sympathy - not that I wanted it.

We waited a bit. Waited for Maw to crawl out of the rubble. The place was slowly flooding with members of the Nova Corps, and eventually, we had to give up.

“You saw the Leviathan hit him?” Proxima asked. I nodded, rubbing my temples. The minute we reached Thanos’ domain, I glanced around for the Titan - he was nowhere in sight.

“Which one of you is going to break the news to father?” Proxima said offhandedly. “We lost the stone, and we lost his favorite son . I say the whore should be the one to do it.”

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t know how Thanos would take the two losses - knowing him, Maw’s death would be the lesser blow. Regardless, I headed to his room anyway, entering without knocking - such a little moment struck me, reminded me just how much had changed.

Thanos was sitting, head ducked - the minute I entered he stood, and I just started, blurting everything out with haste.

“Maw is dead. We lost the stone.”

“Xandar?”

“We...the Chitauri went about doing what you asked,” I winced. “The planet is halved.”

“Then my son’s death will not have been in vain,” Thanos looked uneasy, a bit hesitant to speak. “As for the stone, it will be easy to track, now that the Nova Corps is no more.”

I let out a sigh, and Thanos approached. He began gingerly helping me out of my armor. My muscles were slack, and it was then that I realized how tired I was. I’d been blasted through a building, for God’s sake.

“Go bathe, and then return to my bed. You will rest here for the night.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, drunkenly dragging myself towards the bathing area. After I’d scrubbed myself raw, I climbed into bed, unclothed. The sheets felt heavenly, as they always did.

“You did well today,” Thanos murmured. “I am...proud. I…”

He stopped. I kept my eyes open, listening. Those fateful words never came.

“...am confident in your abilities. Nebula trained you well.”

“Yeah. She did.”

“Now sleep, little human.”

So I slept.